"He's a friend of mine. He's a good friend of mine. He's a good guy, but you know, he's one email away from a disaster," said Trump, at an event Tuesday morning at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.Follow @politicaltickerFollow @psteinhausercnn

"It's a very scary situation for Chris, and we'll see how he handles it," added Trump, the real estate mogul and reality TV star.

Trump's comments came just a few hours before the Republican Governor of New Jersey's second inauguration, a celebratory event that's now being overshadowed by clouds of controversy, as Christie's administration faces scandals over alleged strong-arming of political opponents.

Christie is also seriously considering a bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, and national polls of Republicans conducted after the Governor's landslide re-election two months ago suggested that he was becoming the front-runner among the possible contenders for the GOP nomination. But Trump says the controversies may hurt such a bid.

"At a minimum it's going to be tougher for him (Christie) because of what's happened," Trump added.

Trump spoke at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics' famous "Politics and Eggs" series, which often attracts top politicians and possible presidential contenders.

Asked to handicap the possible 2016 field, Trump said he thinks the eventual GOP nominee is "going to be somebody that nobody is even thinking about," and said that even though Hillary Clinton, if she runs, will instantly become the overwhelming favorite to win the Democratic nomination, "you just don't know what's going to happen."

The 67-year old Trump, who flirted with runs for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2000 and 2012 cycles, last year spoke to a number of Republican and conservative crowds, including addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference, which is the largest annual gathering of conservative leaders and activists, and is considered a must attend cattle call for Republican presidential hopefuls.

But Tuesday, Trump did not address his own possible presidential ambitions regarding 2016.

He did praise the crowd in the Granite State, which traditionally holds the first primary in the road to the White House, saying "you're special people. This is a special state. You're very important for a lot of reasons."

And a couple of times he highlighted his conservative chops, criticizing Obamacare and President Barack Obama's handling of the economy, and emphasizing that "I'm a very conservative person."

But he offered some advice to tea party activists and other grassroots conservatives, who have been blamed for nominating flawed candidates that were a contributing factor in the GOP loss of five Senate elections in the 2010 and 2012 cycles.

"I love the tea party and I love many of the things that the tea party represents," said Trump, before adding that "they have to be careful, however, cause we (Republicans) could have had two or three or four more senators right now if the tea party had been a little bit more lenient, a little bit more understanding."

soundoff(282 Responses)

Anonymous

" the eventual GOP nominee is "going to be somebody that nobody is even thinking about," " Hmmm.... who could he be referring to? Himself, maybe?
"he's one email away from a disaster," So, does he know something we don't know? Or is he just running his mouth again? My vote is on the latter.

January 21, 2014 01:14 pm at 1:14 pm |

ART

I want The Donald to be the Gop's nominee for the 2016 Presidential election,that way if the Dems nominated a rabid mutt they would still win

January 21, 2014 01:14 pm at 1:14 pm |

YUCK

Nobody is above the LAW.

January 21, 2014 01:15 pm at 1:15 pm |

Woody's Hay

Trump/Palin 2016 – Bankrupt and Dumb

Because people will watch a train wreck. Don't believe me? Remember the popularity of the old "Faces of Death" videos.

January 21, 2014 01:15 pm at 1:15 pm |

Phil in KC

" the eventual GOP nominee is "going to be somebody that nobody is even thinking about," " Hmm... who could he be referring to? Himself, maybe?
"he's one email away from a disaster," So, does he know something we don't? Or is he just running his mouth again? My vote is on the latter.

January 21, 2014 01:17 pm at 1:17 pm |

rs

Trump is an idiot- but he is dead-on correct on this point. Mr. Christie may regret letting his minions use their personal e-mail accounts to conduct official business- it will almost make it certain that there are implicating e-mail out there that he cannot have eraced from state servers.

January 21, 2014 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |

Leftcoastrocky

I think that Trump made something that made sense - but then I read it quickly and have not had my first cup of coffee today.

January 21, 2014 01:19 pm at 1:19 pm |

Common Sense

Even his lips are the wrong color.

January 21, 2014 01:20 pm at 1:20 pm |

Kris

Christie unfortunately is living up to his reputation as a bully and abuser of his office. Get rid of him already.

January 21, 2014 01:21 pm at 1:21 pm |

Biff

According to Trump...everyone is his "friend".

January 21, 2014 01:21 pm at 1:21 pm |

Careless

Thanks Donald. We still don't care what you think, you aren't the voice of any party, your words mean nothing to politics, you'll never be president. Can't you just hold up a sign that says "stating the obvious" instead of stating the obvious? "At a minimum it's going to be tougher for him (Christie) because of what's happened." Thank you Donald, that thought NEVER crossed my mind. Christie won't be president either.

January 21, 2014 01:22 pm at 1:22 pm |

svann

Dems will wait till Christie is the nominee before playing their trump card.

And no their trump card is not donald trump.

January 21, 2014 01:24 pm at 1:24 pm |

Chuk

Trump said, "I'm a very conservative person." Yeah, just as Romney was "severely conservative".
This is nothing new. It's the say-anything-to-get-elected politics.
Trump is just an attention-seeking hot air balloon. He seem to float every four years in search of free publicity by threatening to run for the Presidency, which we all know he won't do. Trump doesn't have the discipline or the pedigree to make it even past the Republican primaries. Give me a break.

January 21, 2014 01:25 pm at 1:25 pm |

Jim

I want to see Trump's Birth Certificate !!!! I think he was born in Orangetown!!!! That means he can't be President.

January 21, 2014 01:26 pm at 1:26 pm |

Brenda

You old crook.

January 21, 2014 01:26 pm at 1:26 pm |

Azhockeydad

A legend in his own mind

January 21, 2014 01:27 pm at 1:27 pm |

Rosslaw

A leading intellectual force of what now passes for so-called conservatism. It must be a struggle for him not to just break out laughing when he addresses these rubes and they treat him like a person who actually counts for something.

January 21, 2014 01:27 pm at 1:27 pm |

Jeannie Ramberg

Orange is'nt his color.

January 21, 2014 01:32 pm at 1:32 pm |

Founder

Wow, when the blowhard and egotistical Donald "Bankruptcy King" Trump has become a driving force in political circles it is finally clear; we Americans HAVE hit rock bottom and are still trying to dig. There's little wonder why nothing productive ever gets done in the halls of power.

January 21, 2014 01:32 pm at 1:32 pm |

Claudia, Houston,Tx

Trump's a "Selfie " and could care less about Christies plight because he like many others know his goose is cooked. I find it solo amusing that the Republicans have the same old warmed over people wanting to be President, Trump and Palin are hurting the GOP again and again.

January 21, 2014 01:35 pm at 1:35 pm |

edpeters101

The first email from/to Trump showed he was a disaster!

January 21, 2014 01:37 pm at 1:37 pm |

samb

Donald Trump: One brain cel from normal IQ!

January 21, 2014 01:38 pm at 1:38 pm |

Donnie the Lion

Regarding Christie, there won't be that magic email traced back to him. But the issue is, he's got some bad apples on his team. And the poor judgment for bringing the bad apples onboard is going to fall on his shoulders.

January 21, 2014 01:39 pm at 1:39 pm |

Norma Vessels

I'm just so glad Donald Trump isn't on our side! 🙂

January 21, 2014 01:42 pm at 1:42 pm |

randall

Our federal government is responsible for many of the problems faced today by this country and its citizens. The 2008 economic collapse was created not by banks and the subprime lending practices, but rather a deliberate action of the federal government, a law called the Community Reinvestiment Act. This federal law encouraged banks to do things that they previously thought too risky, provide mortgages to people who could not afford them. The banks, now demonized by the federal government and uninformed people, understood that the lending practices encouraged by the law would lead to increased bank loses and bank failures. The banks understood that these loans were against their own interests and were slow to provide them. To further encourage the banks to offer these high risk, low return loans, federal agencies like HUD under the leadership of Andrew Cuomo, FANNIE MAE, FREDDIE MAC and the FHA under the supervision of politicians like Christopher Dodd and Barney Frank, all implemented policies that would assist banks in transferring the risk and eventual losses to the federal government, other lesser banks and various insurance companies. Still not fully willing to risk viability, the banks were soon targeted by the DOJ for refusing to give subprime loans. Attorney General Janet Reno publicly declared that she would file criminal actions against banks that refused to provide the loans. Numerous interest groups then joined in and began to file suits against the banks. A little known Chicago lawyer and community activist named Barack Obama was just one attorney to file against the banks. The banks finally caved to the tremendous pressure and began to offere loans to nearly anyone who asked. The result was to 2008 economic collapse that nearly brought another Great Depression upon the whole world. It is a collapse from which millions of Americans still have not recovered. To deflect blame for its actions, the federal government and various federal officials spoke out against the banks and actually enacted laws they say will prevent banks from engaging in such risky behavior again.
You think that it was unwise for the federal government to cause such risky lending? Ask yourself why the federal government has entered into 'fair trade' treaties that have caused millions of Americans jobs to be shipped off shore and are now filled by slave labor in third world nations. Ask yourself why the federal government is pushing closer to legalize millions of illegal immigrants now in this country who have artificially lowered the wages of American workers by offering to work for less off the books.
These acts and others by the federal government are contrary to the economic health and national security of the nation. These acts are treasonous. This nation will not long stand if the American people do not act to remove the corrupt and watch the honest. The national news media has proven that they will not.
What say you?